CHAPTER 25

Draco woke and instantly felt her distance. His eyes flew open and he turned to look at her, rolling to his side and feeling no small amount of relief when he saw she was still sleeping peacefully beside him.

She was on her stomach, her arms hugging the pillow tightly. His heart clenched and he squeezed his eyes closed, thoughts of her not being beside him flashing through his mind.

What if she'd changed her mind?

What if she hadn't come back?

What if she'd decided he was a total arse?

He wasn't sure he'd survive. His entire being belonged to her. He knew it — felt it — he would submit to her a thousand times if he thought it would bind them together.

He just didn't know how to translate that into the blood bond.

How did they both submit? And hadn't they already? They wanted to be together. Their magic had already begun to bond. They sensed each other's presence before even seeing one another.

He couldn't imagine what else they would need to do.

A small sigh sounded from her and he smiled. She was still asleep, her slow, easy breaths belying the angst of the day before. He brushed a wayward curl from her face. She was stunningly beautiful, and he cursed himself — not for the first time — for not seeing it sooner. He'd let his prejudices cloud his vision and he'd not allowed himself to see the incredible woman that she was.

Kissing her gently, he slipped out of the bed. As much as he wanted to wake her and talk, she needed to sleep. The last few months had been exhausting for her — not that any of them had realised — and for now, talking could wait.

He closed the bedroom door and moved quietly down the hallway to the bathroom, closing that door as well. Huffing out a laugh, he shook his head at his actions. Just a few months ago he wouldn't have cared about a woman sleeping down the hallway. In fact, she would have already been asked to leave.

But this woman…

She'd changed him.

Hermione Granger had changed Draco Malfoy. And changed him for the better.

But he'd still - unconsciously - been discounting her feelings, expecting her to come to terms with things the way a male Alpha would.

Draco stepped into the shower, closing his eyes and letting the water wash over him. The previous day had been difficult. Even more so for her. She'd been through more than he'd realised — a great deal of it caused by him — and she was still dealing with it all. He couldn't even imagine how he would cope if he'd had to wipe his own existence from his parents' minds. Or if he hadn't grown up knowing he was a wizard.

Or if he'd been treated the way he treated her.

He would have given up — would have walked away and pretended the magical world didn't exist.

But he was a coward. She wasn't.

She'd held her head high through all the taunting, all the rude and uncalled for remarks, all the hatred. She'd stood up for what was right. And through it all, she'd still managed to achieve the highest academic accolades possible.

She wasn't merely equal. She had surpassed everyone around her.

Her scent had his head snapping up as the bathroom door opened.

"Draco?" Her voice was filled with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said, mentally chastising himself. Despite tiptoeing around, he'd still woken her. "Sorry I woke you. I was trying to be quiet."

She was silent for a few seconds before stepping into the shower with him, clicking the door shut and enclosing them in their own little world.

"You were being quiet." She reached up and touched his temple. "It was your mind and your magic that woke me."

Draco frowned. "My mind?"

Hermione nodded. "You were thinking very loudly."

"You could hear me? When did you learn Legilimency?"

"I didn't. I think it's this bond that's begun. We may not have gotten the biting thing right, but my magic definitely recognises yours." She ducked her head under the water. "I'm assuming your magic is the same. Lucius said he thought it was searching for me yesterday and couldn't find me, and I agree. I think that's why you felt so lost and why I was so angry."

"I thought you were angry because of the Omega thing."

"That set it off... this time… but I think I've been so focused on how to make this bonding work that I didn't even realise it had already started."

"I didn't either. Not until Father pointed it out." He reached for the shampoo and handed it to her. "And I will admit, I've been confused about why I feel so strongly for you so quickly."

"In fairness, I've been feeling the same." She smiled at him as she washed her hair. "I mean, I know I want this, but it has been really quick."

"Did you want to wait?" Draco asked. "I don't care if you do. You know I'm not going anywhere."

"I do know." She ducked under the water again, rinsing the soapy lather away. "And I don't want to wait. The bond between us has started and it seems that I'm the reason we've not been able to complete it."

"But you didn't know." Draco kissed her forehead. "None of us knew. We all just assumed that Alpha meant the same as male Alpha and obviously that's not the case. You feel things very differently and adjusting to everything clearly takes more time. I'm sorry I didn't realise sooner."

"That's not your fault any more than it's mine." Hermione shrugged and shook her head. "I don't want to be this anymore."

"You don't want to be an Alpha?"

"No, I don't want to be scared anymore. I want to be the Alpha I keep telling myself I am. I don't want my emotions to control me. I want to be in control."

She pulled back from him and glanced down. Draco winced; he was rock hard. She was talking about control, but he had about as much control as a Neanderthal.

"I'm sorry. You're being serious and I'm—"

She stopped his words with her fingers, pressing them against his lips. "No, this is perfect. I want to be in control and this is—" She peeked up at him through her lashes, biting her lip nervously. "—I want to..."

She dropped to her knees, her tongue sliding along her lips.

"Granger, you don't have to."

"But I want to." Wrapping her hand around the base of his cock, she smiled up at him. "This is not me submitting to you, Draco. This is just me wanting to watch you like you watch me."

He stared down, still wanting to stop her. It felt like submission to him, and while he knew that was a part of this process, her on her knees after what had happened felt wrong.

"Draco?"

"Hermione, after yesterday, this just seems like you're doing exactly what made you angry."

She shook her head, leaning in to kiss his hip. "This is not me giving in. This is me stepping up. This is me knowing what I want." She lifted his cock and ran her tongue slowly from base to tip. "This is me, Draco Malfoy, not letting anyone or anything control me."

Her tongue slid across his knot, the thickness at the base expanding quickly as she teased him. Draco stroked the side of her neck, smiling at the look of confidence in her eyes. When she'd done this the first time, she'd been tentative — asking what he liked, asking if she was doing it right — but this time, she was letting her instincts take over.

She returned his smile and he felt the tension leave her. Her magic was calm in a way he'd not yet felt. The feeling of not knowing had been all consuming, but this calmness was like nothing he'd ever known. It was a sense of belonging, of knowing that she was his light, that she completed him. His magic had found its home.

"Okay?" she asked and he nodded. She smiled again then closed her eyes, humming quietly against his heavy knot.

Her mouth and tongue continued their tease along his shaft, sparks of pleasure shivering through him as the pad of her thumb traced over the pulsing veins in his cock, then drew circles over the crown, gathering the sticky precum there before sucking her thumb between her lips.

"Fuck," Draco groaned and leaned forward, bracing his hands on the tiles. He wanted her lips around him, wanted to fuck her mouth, but there was no questioning who was in control. And it wasn't him.

Closing his eyes, he gave into her, just letting himself feel. It was what he needed to do. To give in. To submit. To allow her to take control, despite his Alpha ego wanting to dominate her.

He could do this. He could let her take over and suck his cock.

She continued to stroke him, her tongue and teeth and fingers moving and touching him everywhere all at once. He'd had blowjobs and handjobs before, but Hermione Granger on her knees, playing with his cock, was his dream come true.

He groaned and looked down at her, touching his hand to the top of her head as her mouth surrounded his swollen tip. She sucked gently, just her warm lips sliding over him, a blissful moan sounding from her like he was the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted.

She increased the pressure, sucking harder while one hand slid along his shaft and the other caressed his balls. Her head began to bob, her lips moving past the head of his cock to touch the skin below. Moving in tiny back and forth motions, her mouth opened wide to take him in.

"Granger… gods… this is…. what the fuck!" He pulled back from her and she grinned up at him.

"What?"

"You shoved your finger in my arse!"

"You didn't like it?" She was biting her lip to stop her laughter.

"Fuck no!" He lifted her to her feet. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"Pansy…" She began to laugh, "Pansy said… guys… and she… Harry… and…"

"Potter likes—nope, I don't want to know." Draco cringed at the image.

"Sorry," she gasped and pressed her forehead to his chest, her entire body shaking with laughter. Draco shook his head and began laughing with her.

"So you just thought you'd try it?"

"Yeah." Looking up at him, her eyes were filled with tears of mirth. "She told me… I should ask… but…"

She snorted and thumped her head back to his chest, her laughter bursting out of her again. Draco kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her, gripping her arse and lifting her to meet his eyes.

"You're mental, you know that?"

Hermione wound her arms and legs around him, still giggling. "I blame Pansy. I wasn't mental until I became friends with her."

"Well, for future reference, I prefer not to have anything shoved in my arse." He turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, walking them down the hallway to the bedroom.

"Draco! We're dripping water everywhere!" Hermione protested, but he ignored her and tossed her onto the bed.

Crawling over her, he grinned. "We can clean up later. Right now, I believe you need to be punished."

He landed a light slap between her thighs and she twisted away from him, pressing her foot against his chest.

"You're the one who needs to be punished. You were a complete jerk to me." She scowled at him, but he simply laughed.

"I was nothing of the sort." He gripped her foot and pressed his thumb to her instep causing her to yelp and wrench her foot from his hand. "You, however, are a sneaky temptress, and you need to be taught a lesson."

"Pfft, as if you could teach me anything." She pounced on him, rolling him backwards and straddling his hips. "I'm the brightest witch of my age. And you were — are — always second to me."

"Do you honestly think you can win this game?" Sitting up quickly, he flipped them over, holding her down with his hips. "I'm much bigger and stronger than you. I can make you my own little Omega, if I want."

"You forget that your magic is piss-weak compared with mine."

He cursed as she flicked her wrist and rendered him motionless, flipping them over once more. She smirked down at him, rolling her hips and sliding her wet folds along his length. But her smirk faltered as his body shifted beneath her.

"It seems it's our magic now." He gripped her hips and she was on her back again. "I think I'm going to like being bonded to you, Granger. All this magic I can play with…"

He shifted his hips forward, touching the tip of his cock to her wet core. But a surge of magic shot through him and he found himself on his back. He growled in frustration which only made her laugh and pin him down again.

"I'm not sure what the problem is here, Malfoy. You just need to give in. Submit to me and I guarantee you'll enjoy it."

"I've already submitted to you, Granger." He moved to sit up but another bolt of magic hit his chest and held him in place.

"You might have my magic, Malfoy, but I also have yours. And since I was always the more talented one, this just makes me stronger." She leaned down and licked the gland at his throat. "Why are you fighting this?"

"Let me touch you," he growled and immediately lifted his hands to push the wet strands of hair off of her face when she released his arms from the magical hold. "I'm not fighting it. I want to fuck you hard then suck your orgasm out of your cunt."

Her eyes grew wide, the golden hue glowing brightly at his growled words. She sat back up, her hands reaching between them and gripping his cock.

"No," she stated firmly. "You're going to lie there and watch me fuck you." Her eyes never left his as she lifted her hips and touched the tip of him to her centre. "You're going to feel every inch of my… cunt… sliding over you."

Hermione lowered herself onto him, her breath catching as the thick head slipped inside. Her free hand landed on his chest and he covered it with his own, watching her jaw drop and her eyes close at the feeling of him entering her.

She had no idea how stunning she was in that moment, when she took him inside her body, when she had no thoughts in her head other than to just feel. He couldn't think of a moment that she was more beautiful than those few seconds. No tension or stress, or thoughts about who she was supposed to be. She wasn't an Alpha. She was just Hermione.

"Draco…" Her voice was little more than a breath of air and he gripped her hips to steady her. "Gods… I love how you feel inside me."

"I know, Darling." Draco lifted his hips, pushing deeper inside her. The feeling of being joined with her still astounded him. She'd become bolder each time they'd been together like this. Her hands and mouth had explored, her body had readily accepted his. But this. This one tiny moment when their bodies met was all those feelings he struggled to describe.

She began to roll her hips. Slowly at first, her body stretching and sliding, sucking him deeper. Their combined magic pulsed between them and everything was suddenly heightened. He no longer cared about the show of dominance that had begun between them. Every point where their bodies touched, every breath she took, every sigh and gasp she made while she moved along his cock became his focus.

Lifting off him and sliding back down, he watched her body move with a grace that made this act more like a dance. She moved in a way that wasn't overtly sexual. She was slow and calm, taking her time to feel, to learn, and in doing so, she was easily the most sensual being he'd had the pleasure of knowing.

Her golden eyes stared down at him, her lips moving in a murmur of quiet words; didn't know… like this… so good… love this… love you.

One of her hands lifted to cover her breast, the other slid into her hair. Her jaw fell open and her head dropped back. And the most erotic sound imaginable fell from her mouth and filled the room. Her body shuddered and Draco felt the magic holding his chest down vanish. Sitting up, he flipped them over easily. He pulled out of her and quickly slid down her body, his mouth covering her pulsating core and doing exactly what he'd promised; he swallowed her orgasm. She dripped on his tongue, the sweet taste of her pulling a feral growl from deep within his chest. She was his woman. His Alpha. His mate. Her taste belonged only to him.

She stilled and he glanced up at her. She was watching him, a dazed glow dancing in her eyes. He knew that look. He'd seen it often enough to know that her release had turned her into a boneless pile of satisfied nothingness.

He kissed her inner thigh, her hip, grazed his teeth along her ribs, pausing to suck on her nipple. Her hand slid lazily into his hair and she murmured his name.

He smiled into her soft flesh, flicking his tongue over her nipple before lifting his head to take her in.

"I think I died." Her voice was still breathy, her skin still warm and damp with sweat.

"Hmm." Draco dragged his tongue across her throat gland. "This warm body says otherwise."

He covered her mouth with his, loving the way her lips felt, the way her tongue played with his. He loved kissing her, loved how responsive — how giving — she was. She surprised and confused him. She was a contradiction of soft and hard, of confident and shy. She was a closed book and completely open all at once.

And he loved her for all of it.

"Draco," she murmured and reached between them, wrapping her hand around him and guiding him to her entrance. "Please…"

She shifted beneath him, raising her hips, and he slid slowly inside her. He groaned. Every fibre of his being wanted to fuck her hard and fast, but he held back. He exhaled slowly, shuddering at the feel of her beneath him, of his cock sinking into her heat.

How was it possible to feel her so differently every time? How could one person consume him so completely?

Closing his eyes, he shifted his hips back then surged forward again and felt her body stretch around him. Her hands slid into his hair and she pressed her face against his neck, her tongue gently flicking out to touch his gland. He groaned, gripping her leg and pulling it along his ribs, sliding impossibly deeper into her.

Her head dropped back to the pillow and he opened his eyes. "Okay?"

She nodded and he began to move. She moved with him, her hips rising and falling with each thrust of his. His mouth went to her throat, tasting her sweet skin and grazing his teeth over the sensitive spot at the base. Her breath hitched and her legs squeezed against him. Her cry was sharp in his ear as he sunk his teeth into her skin.

"Fuck!" he cursed and grimaced. Her blood tasted like… blood. Metallic and rusty.

She stilled and looked up at him. "Nothing?"

He shook his head and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "Nothing. You?"

She giggled and squeezed his cock. "Only this."

Draco grinned. "At least you feel something."

"It's more than just something." She rolled her hips, urging him to move again.

And he did.

Shoving aside another failed bonding, he moved over her, in her, feeling her shudder and squirm beneath him. He moved. Faster and faster. Ignoring everything but the woman under him.

He moved.

Sliding through her slick heat until he felt her tighten around him. She cried out, gasping his name, her hands frantically clutching at him.

"Draco! Don't stop. Don't ever stop!"

He moved.

Pumping into her, his arms shuddered and his body burned. His blood pounded in his ears and he gritted his teeth, fighting his Alpha instinct to slam into her hard and lock them together. He didn't want to come inside her. He wanted to pull out and paint her skin with his seed.

"Do it," she whispered and he faltered.

"What?"

"Whatever you're thinking, do it. I want you to."

Her eyes pleaded with him to give in to his crassness and he growled, pulling out of her. His hand flew over his cock, slick with her juices, and within seconds he was shouting his release. They both watched as he came all over her, ropes of thick, white fluid bursting out of him and covering her smooth skin.

"Fucking hell," she breathed and he glanced up at her. "That's a lot."

Draco dropped his head to her shoulder and began to laugh. "You're so completely mental. I love you, you know?"

Hermione grinned as she entered the kitchen. She'd re-showered while Draco cleaned up the water trail they'd left after their first shower, and she'd been surprised to find him now making tea. Leaning her hip on the counter, she watched him carefully fill the two cups in front of him. "Look at you, making tea for me."

"You've taught me well, oh wise one." He laughed and handed her one of the steaming cups.

"Next I'll show you how the microwave works."

"Let's not get too crazy." He kissed her and nodded at the small metal box on the counter. "Muggle magic still confuses me."

"We'll take it slow." She blew a stream of air across the top of her cup, sipping carefully at the steaming liquid. "You know, for two Alphas we're not very bright."

"Meaning?"

"I've been thinking about what your father said, and what Ron said."

"And what conclusions have you drawn?"

"Well, they're both definitely onto something, but I don't think they were entirely correct." She crossed the room and sat on the sofa, curling her legs beneath her and sipping her tea.

Draco followed, sitting beside her and stretching his legs out to rest his feet on the coffee table. "What is it you're thinking they got wrong?"

"It's the submission and dominance that's confusing me. We've both submitted to and dominated each other and it's not made any difference to the blood bond. I mean, seriously, we're both repulsed by it."

He touched the fading bite mark at the base of her throat. "It seems to be the only thing that's repulsing us. Everything else is perfect."

"Perfect is a good description." Hermione curled her hand around his and smiled. "But, I'm guessing this Alpha thing isn't about submission and dominance. I think it's about balance and equality."

"Is that something I'm not doing? I'm sorry if—"

"Draco, no. You've actually been better at it than I have. My emotions have made me a complete bitch at times, and you've just taken it all without complaint."

"I wouldn't say that," Draco disagreed. "I haven't exactly been one hundred percent supportive."

"Not at the start, no," Hermione conceded. "But as soon as you decided what you wanted, your entire demeanour changed."

"This is true. But, what is it you're thinking about all of this?"

"I'm pretty sure it all started that night after dinner, when I got angry at you over that woman. Everything changed then. When we were together that night, it felt like something I couldn't even begin to explain. I knew I wanted you, and only you." She tilted her head and smiled. "Our magic has bonded. You hated not knowing where I was. I hated that woman all over you. I no longer want to vomit when I'm near Ron, and you said it was easier to control yourself around him now. We feel each other's emotions and we calm each other down almost instantly. We don't need a blood bond."

Draco frowned. "Blood is what seals the bond, though."

"Yes, in Alpha-Omega and Alpha-Beta pairings. Lucius was right about that. But, we're both Alphas, so I don't think it's needed." She put her tea cup on the table then placed her hand over his heart. "The magic that was mine and the magic that was yours is now combined. Two single entities are now one. You can feel it, can't you?"

"I can feel it, but… there's something else. It's only small, but it's missing."

Hermione nodded. "I know, but I think the bonding ceremony will bring it all together. The physical part is done. Hopefully, the traditional part will finish it."

"So, are you thinking about the family circle ritual?" Draco asked carefully.

"Yeah, but with the parental bond…" She leaned her head on the back of the couch. "It's the one thing I can't figure out."

"I don't think you have to." Placing his cup on the side table, he shifted closer to her. "While you were in your thought bubble yesterday, I also had time to think. Weasley and Potter are your family. You three have been through everything together and the bond that formed only got stronger when you Obliviated your parents. Potter and Weasley are the family you chose, and that makes the bond between you nearly unbreakable."

"I'm not sure that's enough though," Hermione said with a shrug.

"I think it is." Draco linked their fingers and squeezed her hand. "They were the ones who calmed you. They were the ones who made you see who you are. They're your pack, as it were. And while they both think you need to let them go, I don't believe that's true."

"But that's what's stopping me. My need to constantly protect them both."

Draco shook his head. "I don't think that's it. We don't get a choice when it comes to family, not in the traditional sense. The family we're born into shapes us and makes us who we are. And you did have that with your parents. They taught you to be good and kind and strong. They taught you to protect and love the people who are important to you. And you did that. They needed to be protected… unfortunately that protection was too strong. But that's a part of you." He pressed his hand to her heart. "This, here. This heart of yours. You love the people around you with such fierceness and your need to protect everyone isn't a hindrance, it's a gift. Potter and Weasley are meant to be in your life. Pansy and Ginny and Daphne. Hannah. The Weasleys. That's your chosen family. They're who the Alpha chose. The female Alpha that none of us recognised."

"But, if that was the case, the blood bond would have worked the first time."

Draco shook his head. "No. You were right in saying it's not needed because we've already bonded, we just didn't realise."

"So you don't think we even have to have a ceremony?"

"Oh, we absolutely do. Because that's for you." He lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of hers. "The ceremony will be the last piece of this crazy puzzle, the piece that will make you realise that this is your family and your life. It's what you chose, who you chose."

"I didn't choose to be an Alpha, though."

"No you didn't, and I think that's what's been the hindrance. You've tried to live up to the expectations that come with being an Alpha, but the male version. You're different and unique, and that's what you were meant to be."

"I don't feel different and unique. I feel like a failure."

"But you haven't failed. Not at being a female Alpha, only at being a male one. Which you are most definitely not." Draco winked at her, making her laugh. "You just need to shift your thinking a bit, and if you can do that, you'll shine, just like Weasley said."

"You're very wise today." She shifted closer, curling her legs over his. "First you make tea and now you're being all logical."

"You're a bad influence on me, Granger."

"I could say the same to you, Malfoy. I was all sweet and innocent before I turned Alpha and you could no longer resist me."

"Are you saying I corrupted you?" Draco's hand slid up her thigh.

"You corrupted me in the best possible way." Hermione kissed him, her lips lingering over his. "You opened my eyes to a whole new life."

"Are you ready, Hermione Granger, to live that life?" Draco cupped her cheek and smiled. "Are you ready to believe your chosen family and shine?"

Hermione turned into his touch, closing her eyes briefly and breathing deeply. When she opened them again, her irises were golden.

"I'm ready.